


Heart's Desire

by ferix79



Series: FFXV Fix-It AU- Everybody Lives [3]
Category: Final Fantasy XV
Genre: Anxiety, Blind Character, Canon Compliant, Everybody Lives, Foursome - M/M/M/M, Gladio to the Rescue, Group Marriage, Heart-to-Heart, In a way, M/M, Marriage, Marriage Proposal, Multi, Polyamory, Romantic Fluff, Sappy Fluff, Way too many headcanons
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-03-06
Updated: 2017-03-06
Packaged: 2018-09-28 15:09:01
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,710
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10125815
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ferix79/pseuds/ferix79
Summary: Noctis has survived his ascension and Insomnia is rebuilding, but an important question lingers: Who will the new King marry?





	

**Author's Note:**

> This is both a kink meme fill and the product of a lot of headcanons, so bear with me for a moment.  
> [The Kink Meme Prompt](http://ffxv-kinkmeme.dreamwidth.org/3016.html?thread=1510856#cmt1510856)  
> The prompt was a fic involving the theory that Prompto is closest to the King's heart because he's always seen standing on Noctis' left. 
> 
> [The "On Your Left" Promptis Theory](http://thatkanragirl.tumblr.com/post/157852005839/i-think-its-important-to-take-note-that-prompto)
> 
> My personal headcanon of Noctis having a 'bad side' b/c of his childhood injury makes a brief cameo. [You can read that one here.](https://domesticfluffsimulator.tumblr.com/post/158024112796/okay-but)
> 
> Finally, this fic is set in an Everybody Lives AU where Noctis survived his ascension, but there's also a few other changes that you can [read about here](http://archiveofourown.org/series/649919) (mainly that there was no 10 year time skip and they defeated Ardyn much earlier). So, I'm thinking it's been a few years since they started rebuilding and Noct/Prom are about 24 while Ignis/Gladio are 27/28, thought their ages don't really matter here. 
> 
> Hope that made sense and have fun reading!

“Well, your majesty, the matter of who you will marry comes to mind.”

Noctis froze. The dreaded subject hung over his head daily. He’d been in love with Ignis, Gladio and Prompto for years. Not just love—they were his life. They were the people that brought out the best in him, and were likely the only reason he was still alive. He couldn’t imagine life without them, or having to pretend to love someone else in front of the public. He hadn’t thought much about marriage, but…if it had to be someone, it would be one of them.

“I know the proposal of you marrying Luna seems like ages ago now, but…” His advisers were apparently not of the same school of thinking.

“Luna’s already in a relationship, do you really think she’d take well to being proposed to?” Noctis shot back, and the other man did not continue.

“Would you like to share one of your own ideas then, your highness?”

Noctis hesitated. All he could do was try.

“What about Ignis? He’s already very well acquainted with royal procedures and manner at council. I think he’d make an excellent prince consort with his skills in influence and negotiation we’d have no trouble winning favor of other nations.”

His council mumbled and glanced amongst themselves, but no one made any outright objections. Maybe it wasn’t such a farfetched idea after all! He was quite proud of himself, actually, for thinking that through.

That was, until the man in question cleared his throat, “Your majest—Noctis. I’m honored and thrilled to know that you think so highly of me, but I regret to say I don’t think it’s our best course of action,” Noctis felt his heart sink. He was trying so hard. “I will no doubt fill all of those roles for you, but I intend to do so as your head advisor. I don’t know if, politically, it would be appropriate to have both consort and head advisor be the same person. Shouldn’t keep all of one’s eggs in the same basket, you know.”

Noctis tried not to pout too hard. Ignis had a point. Instinctively, Noct looked to Gladio next, seated right next to Ignis. He and Gladio picked up on what he was doing, then, and subsequently shut it down.

“I don’t think the prince consort should be the head of the Kingsglaive, either,” Gladio said, and frowned when he saw Noctis practically wilt in his seat at the head of the table. He collected himself, trying to keep from snapping at the man, and offered an alternative.

“Noct, you don’t need the ace up your sleeve to be consort. You don’t need someone who could snap the other party in half to be consort, though I appreciate the compliment. What you need is someone who hasn’t been wrapped up in Lucian politics since birth,” Gladio said, trying to convey his sympathy to his partner. Noct sat back in his chair, looking for all the world like Gladio had just opened him up and read him like a book. He was all out of ideas.

“If you don’t mind me making a suggestion,” Ignis began, looking in Noctis’ direction. The King mumbled a quiet ‘Of course,’ and he continued, “What about Prompto?”

The council erupted into a cacophony of sound, voices rising and chairs scraping against the floor as council members stood. Prompto was wide-eyed, heart beating out of his chest as he pressed himself into the raised back of his chair like it was going to help him disappear. How had he wronged Ignis, his mind raced, to have the man bring up such an idea in front of all these people?

Noctis sat, slouched in his chair, as the council erupted. His mouth dropped open slightly in realization. Did Ignis really think that would be…okay?

“This is unacceptable!”

“Him? He was born in Nifilheim! The people are going to think he forced the King to marry him!”

“He’s not even of a known family, just a common boy.”

“Why should he have the honor, when there are so many other respectable young men and women—”

Ignis stood out of his chair, raising a hand in signal for the council to halt their arguing. As he would soon be the King’s most trusted confidant, the council begrudgingly submitted to him, and the chatter died down.

“Now, now, at least let me make a case for my point—”

“A case for your point?” Prompto exclaimed, bursting out of his chair. Adrenaline was pumping through his veins and he had no idea what to say, but he had to say something. He couldn’t sit silent anymore, no matter how much speaking up scared him, “What about me, being offered up like some sort of…last option? Like he couldn’t find anything better?” He felt tears spring to his eyes and he hated himself for it. Crying, in front of the King and council. Great way to frame an argument.

“Plus I…What they said was right! It wouldn’t work out, I could never…I could never be the Prince Consort of Lucis! I’m from Nifilheim, and I was almost…what would happen if the public found out? I could never…I could never…” Prompto held his head in his hands, trying to conceal the tears slowly running down his face. _Get out_ , his most basic instincts were screaming at him. He needed to go.

He said no more, shoving his chair aside and marching out of the council room. Cor, from the other side of the table, watched as the hearts of the three men across from him broke into bits at the sound of Prompto’s retreating footsteps. Surprisingly, none of them followed, though Noctis looked the most torn.

“As I was going to say,” Ignis began again, pride gone out of his voice, “I know what you’re thinking, but Prompto would be the perfect candidate for the prince consort. Certainly not the last choice. Noctis needs someone who will stand by him no matter what happens or where he goes. I know the allure of political advantages is tempting, but what Lucis needs now is to see their government united and their King strong. Loving his partner will play large role in that, more than anything else, I would think. That’s not to say that Noctis does not love myself or Gladio the same way he does Prompto, but we’ve already ruled each other out for good reason. Plus, I agree with Gladio. The royal and political battlefield needs someone new, someone who does not come with all this baggage and preconceived notions…The people, and the King, need someone they can fall in love with,” Ignis said, looking distinctly in Noctis’ direction.

“Luckily, we’ve won half that battle,” Gladio said in agreement.

The council went back to mumbling amongst themselves. As always, the adviser had an undeniable point. Noctis remained silent for a time, his brows furrowed as he mulled over his options.

“I can’t force him to do it if he doesn’t want to, Ignis.” Ignis opened his mouth to respond, but Gladio beat him to the punch.

“Noct, I really, really don’t think it’s a matter of if he wants to or not. Ignis really nailed it—Prom would follow you to the ends of Eos and back. It’s not a problem of him loving you or needing convincing—He’d do anything for you Noct,” Gladio clenched his fist. Gods above, he loved these men, but damn him if they couldn’t be dense as all hell sometimes. He was about to let loose on a tirade about love, but Ignis leaning over to whisper in his ear stopped him.

“Perhaps we could take this somewhere more private, before you lay bare all of our lover’s insecurities?”

He did have a point.

Gladio gestured to Noct then, drawing a quick line across his throat with his finger. Let’s wrap this up.

Noctis was all too eager to oblige, commanding the attention of the council and informing them that they’d continue the discussion at a later date. Gladio left the table without hesitating, Ignis in tow, and motioned to a side room to Noctis. Once they were all behind closed doors, the King crossed his arms.

“Well?”

Gladio took a few moments, reciting all the points he almost blurted out to the whole council to himself.

“Prompto’s problem isn’t a matter of loving you, Noct, it’s a matter of loving himself.” Right away, Noctis felt a cold wave run through his body. The truth was harsh and unforgiving, just like Gladio in that moment, “Hell, we’ve talked about this before, I know we have! We know that we love Prom, and we know that he loves us. He has plenty of friends that love him and want to see him happy. The problem is that he’ll never, never be happy if he can’t love himself,” His last word came out in a sigh, caught somewhere between exasperation and agitation, “No matter what we say, if he doesn’t think he’s good enough to be consort, he never will be. And—I hate to say it—so far in his life he’s never even felt worthy enough to walk by our sides. It’s something that I think we’ve all been struggling with, and this just might be the perfect time to come up with an answer—with a solution.”

“You really, uh, hit the nail on the head, didn’t you?” Noctis rubbed the back of his neck.

“Oh please, Noct,” he rolled his eyes. He knew Noct wasn’t that oblivious, “He’s been like that since the day we met him. None of us took the time to do anything about his bottom-feeder self confidence because we were all convinced that there were more important things we needed to be doing. Defeating Ardyn might have been more important at the time, but really we were just trying to avoid giving him an anxiety attack on top of a breakdown, all while letting his complex build up more and more every day.”

“Didn’t want stir the pot, as it were.”

“I’m pretty sure the pot was already shaken and tossed against a wall, didn’t need to stir it,” Gladio shot back. Ignis hummed in unsteady agreement, and silence fell in around them.

Finally, Noctis spoke, “Well, what should we do?” He looked to Gladio, his only solid connection to the issue and—more importantly—its resolution. The older man sighed. And people thought he was just kept around as muscle.

“Let me go talk to him.”

 

* * *

  
Before the fall, Prompto only spent a few weeks in the Citadel. The places he visited were very limited: Noctis’ room, the library, the training grounds, and the kitchen, once, for a midnight snack. But he’d been buzzed on good wine and not at all paying attention to the dizzying twists and turns, so that one didn’t count.

So, his feet took him the only sure path they knew that wasn’t their new shared bedchambers: Noctis’ old room. He didn’t even know what it was used for, now. After two elevator rides and three wrong turns—it was even _more_ difficult to navigate the Citadel with tears in his eyes—he arrived at the familiar doors only to find them locked.

Great, just great! Now he was crying, tired, embarrassed _and_ lost, with no place to go and have a good cry all alone. A small alcove situated at the end of the hallway—with three quilted benches lining the windows—seemed as good a place as any. Hopefully one of the guards would wander by eventually and point him in the right direction.

He didn’t have to wait long for the elevator down the hall to ding again. His hands flew to his face, trying to wipe away the evidence of tears for whatever guard was about to round the corner.

…but it was no guard. Gladio, instead, had managed to find him in the massive maze of the Citadel. _Even better_ , he thought, _not._

“Hey,” Gladio greeted softly, taking a seat across from the blonde. Prompto said nothing, opting rather to stare at his hands in his lap, “I’m sorry you had to sit through that. What those council members were saying…it’s not true, Prom. Don’t listen to them.”

“How can you expect me to do that when what they say is true?” He shot back, refusing to let the subject go, “You can’t just tell me to not listen to other people telling me _facts_ about my _own life._ ” Gladio flinched at his harsh tone. Good, he thought. He wasn’t going to let Gladio sit here and tell him how to feel.

“No, I’m sorry, you’re right, Prom,” he admitted, his eyes begging for apology as he looked to the blonde again, “And it’s fair, that you feel that way, I mean. But your past doesn’t have any bearing on how great a person you are today, and how great you will be in the future. It’s wrong of them to judge you like that, and I—we, Ignis and Noct and I—want you to understand that you’re so much more than just your past, to us. Proposing you as a candidate to rule beside Noctis isn’t a decision made lightly; if Ignis thought it was a good idea I can guarantee you that he’s considered all his options for potential candidates, and you came out on top.”

It was Prompto’s turn to recoil. Couldn’t they just let him have a day, an hour to be self-deprecating and sad, rather than showering him with compliments he didn’t deserve? Apparently not, as Gladio kept speaking.

“How about this; just tell me how you feel. I want you to tell me all the reasons you think you won’t make a good ruler beside Noctis. No judgment—seriously! I’ll just listen.”

“Well…” Prompto rubbed at his wrist. Gladio didn’t have to look to know which one, “I’m from Nifilheim, first of all. I was born to be an MT! And I still have this tattoo…it would be so easy for some paparazzo to snap a picture of it and then—bam! My whole life would be ruined.”

Gladio looked down to where Prompto’s hand covered his wrist. While it did represent a great psychological scar, there was nothing saying Prompto couldn’t have it covered up. He should look into reconnecting with his old tattoo artist, Gladio thought; maybe if the guy survived the fall of the city he could take Prompto to visit him.

“But also, I’m a commoner, Glads,” Prompto continued, “You guys may not notice it because you’ve been part of the upper class your whole lives, but you know how to talk to these people like it’s second nature. I’ve got no idea how to act around all these high class snobs—council members and governors and foreign envoys,” he waved his hands up and down as he spoke, “Plus, I don’t know anything about all the political issues Ignis always brings up; I’d be useless at official meetings or gatherings, just there as arm candy. And I don’t want to be useless.” He deflated a little, letting his posture slump and his back curve out. Gladio understood his trepidation there, but the three of them would be with Prompto every step of the way. Fitting in with a new group of people was always a learning process, and he knew Prompto to be a quick learner.

“And mostly,” he drew a knee up onto the bench, propping his arm and head up atop it, “I just feel like I can’t help Noctis in some special way like you guys can. I can’t defend him with my life, I can’t advise him on important decisions, I can’t even give him an heir.” Prompto diverted his eyes after his last confession. He knew it sounded stupid, like a pipe dream, but at least if he had that ability he’d be able to give Noctis _something_. “It’s selfish, expecting him to marry me. He’d do better with, like, anyone else.”

Many of Prompto’s fears and anxieties were not problems to be solved today, sitting on the 35th floor of the Citadel at the end of an empty hall, but _that_ Gladio could work with. “You think it’s selfish?” He asked, and Prompto nodded in affirmation, biting his lip, “But that means you do want to marry him, right?”

“Of course I want to marry him! Noct’s a great guy, and kind, and I love him. But I can’t…I can’t…”

The tears sprung anew from Prompto’s eyes and Gladio could do nothing to stop them. He almost sighed, but surely that was the _last_ thing Prompto needed to hear from him, so he opted for leaning in and resting his forehead against Prompto’s. It was just as he explained to Noctis and Ignis earlier; Prompto loved them, and Prompto knew they loved him, but he had so much trouble linking the two together. It was like an electric current that couldn’t connect; a railroad missing a section of the tracks; or an intricate maze of blood vessels without a…

“Wait, Prom, hear me out on this one,” he said suddenly, lifting his forehead off Prompto’s as the other man opened his eyes. Perhaps _this_ would make a little more sense to the blonde.

“So Ignis is the King’s right hand, yeah? And I’m his shield,” Prompto nodded, so Gladio was sure he was following his line of thinking, “Where do you think you fall in with all this?”

Prompto shook his head, confusion laced through his eyes. How did Gladio expect him to answer that? He didn’t have some important title, some birthright to be at Noctis’ side. Gladio could see the wheels turning in his head, going forwards and backwards and jamming against each other. Okay, maybe blondie was a little overloaded and he shouldn’t expect breakthroughs right away.

He leaned in close to Prompto, though, and gently pushed his knuckle against the left side of his chest. “You’re his heart, Prom. When you two were younger, you were the one that brought him out of his rut after the accident. You’re the one he ran through miles of abandoned tower for. You’re the one that brings out the best in him, no matter how hard Iggy or I try.”

“Y-you, you really mean that?” Prompto bumbled through his tears, clutching the spot on his chest Gladio knuckled, “Do you really think Noct thinks so?”

“Prompto, you two have been attached at the hip for years. I _know_ so.”

Prompto hummed and began to calm down a bit, wiping his nose on his sleeve because he didn’t care anymore and the snot was getting everywhere. He always had been such a messy crier.

“I don’t want it to be just me and him, though. I want it to be the four of us for…you know, the rest of our lives,” Prompto knew, truthfully, it wouldn’t _always_ be all four of them. Time would take its toll, not to mention potential assassination attempts, fighting powerful monsters, or any other manner of accident…

“Prom, nothing’s going to change between the four of us,” he grasped Prompto’s hand as he realized just what the blonde was implying with his train of thought. Warm, wide thumbs rubbed circles into the back of Prompto’s hand as he continued, “I know the engagement and ceremony are going to be…overwhelming. But after you two get married all you’ve got to do is keep being yourself, hold his hand in public sometimes and make sure you stay on his left— which shouldn’t be hard for you, because you already do it all the time.”

“Do I?” Prompto cocked his head to the side, thinking back to their seemingly endless journey across Lucis, which now seemed so long ago, “I just always wanted to make sure he was covered, and it’s his bad side, so…” The older Noctis got, the more pronounced it became. He’d taken to wearing a knee brace, lately; it was usually hidden under his clothes, so the public was none the wiser, but Prompto knew better. “But there’s a rule that says I have to stand on his left side? Why’s that?”

Gladio chuckled before he spoke, shaking his head. “It’s because you’ll be the closest one to his heart. Whenever you two sit side-by-side in the throne room, you’ll sit to his left, too.” It was so cheesy, but so was Prompto.

As if on cue the blonde’s eyes widened, almost sparkling in awe, and a pink blush rushed up to his cheeks. “That’s…kind of totally adorable.”

“Yeah? Think you’re up to being the King’s husband, then?”

Prompto tried to suppress the smile the crept onto his face, but he couldn’t do it. Being married to Noct sounded like a dream, but if Ignis and Gladio believed in him, and if Noctis was really okay with marrying him…well, maybe he really could do it, then. He nodded and kept Gladio’s hand in his as they stood, the shield leading him back to the elevator. Ah, he’d forgotten that he was even been lost in the first place.

“The whole ‘on his left’ thing, though; it’s just…standing on ceremony. It is ‘totally adorable’, as you said, but we’re still all equals to each other, yeah?” Gladio reassured him as the elevator descended and Prompto nodded, still rapt with attention to his words, “If you’re on Noct’s left, closest to his heart, then Ignis is on his right, so he’s closest to Ignis’ heart, technically. And I’m on your left, so I’m closest to your heart. We’re all connected like that,” Six above, he really hadn’t planned on getting this sappy, “So, no one’s worth more or less than anyone else. You’re not just here to be arm candy, Prom. You’ll find your niche, just give it time.”

Prompto rushed into his personal space, wrapping him in a short, but loving hug just as the elevator settled onto their destination floor, “Thanks, big guy.”

Noctis, deep in a hushed conversation with Ignis as they waited, gasped the moment Gladio brought Prompto around the corner. Ignis raised his head, too, inferring that their other partners were back.

“Prompto,” the adviser spoke towards the approaching footsteps, “I must sincerely apologize for earlier. Speaking for you without asking first was foolish of me; I didn’t even begin to consider the bearings such a statement would have on you.” Prompto released Gladio’s hand, then, and took Ignis’ instead. He didn’t expect to find his partner’s hands trembling in anticipation, but he gave Ignis’ hand a firm squeeze in reassurance.

“Aww, thanks Ig. I’ll forgive you,” he taunted, “But only if you give me a kiss _riiiight_ here.” He prodded Ignis’ cheek, indicating the same place on his face that he wanted said kiss delivered. The adviser raised his palm to Prompto’s face, feeling for the right spot—wouldn’t want the kiss to miss its mark—a pecked Prompto’s cheek obediently. He was rewarded with a string of giggles from the blonde as his apprehension faded.

“I’m glad you’re feeling better,” Noctis said, joining Ignis at Prompto’s side, the relief palpable in his voice and the smile on his face genuine. “Y’know, Prom, if you don’t want to marry me, it’s okay. We’ll figure out something—” Prompto put a finger to his lips, then, shaking his head.

“Don’t worry, dude, I’ll marry you,” Another smile bloomed on Noctis’ face under Prompto’s finger, but he continued, “But only on one condition.”

“Yeah. Sure. Anything you want, anything,” Noctis laughed, too high on the rush of endorphins that just hit him to care.

“I want it to be private.”

Noctis’ face fell immediately, as did Ignis and Gladio’s. He could have given Prompto whatever he wanted—gold, jewels, expensive clothing, vacations around the world—but a private wedding for the King? It was out of his hands.

“Prom, I-I don’t think the wedding could be private…” Again, the blonde shook his head.

“Not the wedding!” Noctis let out the breath he’d been holding. _Oh thank Shiva_ , “Your proposal to me!”

The other three men froze, all in various states of shock. Ignis broke first, bringing a hand to his mouth to cover what was surely a devilish smirk.

“Oh,” Noctis finally said, “O…kay?”

“What, did you think I was just gonna say yes right here? Like I said, I want it to be private and, like, romantic,” he said, looking upwards as if he was imagining such a proposal, “I wanna be well dressed and alone with you somewhere dreamy, and a fancy ring wouldn’t be bad either!”

Noctis just stood there, staring straight through Prompto as the blonde tapped a finger on his nose. He’d never taken the time to think about a proposal. His engagement to Luna was decided for him, and after that…Well, he didn’t think he’d ever end up proposing to one of the other three men.

“You better start thinking of something good, Noct!” Prompto taunted.

“He’s got you wrapped around his little finger, doesn’t he?” Gladio added, secretly proud of the blonde.

“Don’t worry, Noct, if we put our heads together we’ll come up with something,” Ignis encouraged him, but Noctis wasn’t so sure. In theory, marrying someone was simple—put on a tux, attend ceremonies, say the vows and kiss. It’s what he’d been planning for his and Luna’s wedding, but this was an entirely different matter! Expressing love in words was hard enough; how was he going to string together a series of events, all culminating in asking one of the people (or was it really a proposal to all three of them?) he loved most to spend the rest of his life with him?

 

* * *

 

Dino was more than happy to make Noctis four matching engagement bands. Happy for the gil and publicity, no doubt, but Noctis was glad he could ask an ally for such an important favor, rather than some random jeweler.

They were rather simple bands, not bedazzled with jewels, but rather with inscribed runes that mimicked the runes of the havens. Unfortunately they were only imitations, not magically infused like the actual havens, but to Noctis they meant protection, togetherness, team work, home and an inseparable feeling. The blue metal inlaid in the engraved titanium looked expensive and unique enough for a King, but the secret meaning they carried meant much more to him.

He proposed to Ignis over tea one morning, pressing the ring into his oldest companion’s hand so he could feel the engraving. Ignis said nothing in response, but slipped off his glove, placed the ring on the appropriate finger and covered it again, smiling as he took Noctis’ hand in his.

He waited until he caught Gladio alone in the library to propose. His shield accepted the ring, of course, but held him close for a long while, whispering to Noctis how he’d still protect him with his life every day. It came as quite a shock to him because he assumed Gladio would be very casual about the whole ordeal, but it almost seemed like the shield was taking another oath to him, right there on the couch of the deserted library.

Before his proposals to Ignis and Gladio he’d been nervous, but nothing like he was before Prompto’s. Just as the blonde asked, they were both well dressed in suits, blessedly alone and on top of the Citadel. Prompto stood to his left as they looked out over the city, all lit up in the night. Noctis hoped this was dreamy enough.

Well, the sooner he asked the sooner he would stop feeling so nauseous.

Prompto reached out for his hand, but he stuffed them in his pockets lamely. He fiddled with the ring for a moment, his own band already resting heavy on his finger, and then squared up his shoulders.

He even got down on one knee, knowing the blonde would appreciate the romanticism. Geez, what a hopeless romantic his future husband had turned him into.

“Prompto, will you marry me?”

**Author's Note:**

> This really ran away from me, especially on the marriage aspect. But I've been wanting to write about their proposal since I mentioned it in [Of Hair Colors and Gossip](http://archiveofourown.org/works/9299009) so this was my excuse.
> 
> [my tumblr](http://ferix-writes.tumblr.com/)


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